One wide receiver gives cornerback Joe Haden more trouble than any other in the league, and he just happens to be the player Haden will try to shut down next when the Browns attempt to prove beating the Vikings wasn’t a fluke.
Haden vs. Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is a rivalry that will be renewed at 1 p.m. Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bengals are 2-1. The Browns are 1-2.
Haden and Green have met three times, and so far the advantage belongs to Green. But the Browns’ pass rush wasn’t as good in 2011 and 2012 as it is now, so Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton might not have as much time to throw as he did the last two years.
“He can do everything that you want a receiver to be able to do — go up and get the ball and then with him and Dalton coming in together, they have that chemistry and (Dalton) trusts him,” Haden said Thursday. “If you have a quarterback that trusts you, he’ll throw a jump ball to him. If it’s a situation (Dalton) really needs, you know he’s going to go to 18. That’s just one thing about him.
“He’s really tall, fast and he runs good routes. He’s the best receiver I’ve been playing against since I’ve been in the league.”
Haden was the seventh pick in the 2010 draft. Green was picked fourth in 2011.
The Browns and Bengals met in a memorable 2011 opener. The Browns led, 17-13, with less than five minutes left. Inexplicably, the Bengals snapped the ball just as the lollygagging Browns were breaking the defensive huddle.
Haden saw, too late, what was going to happen. Green sprinted down the right side and Bengals backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski connected with him for a 41-yard touchdown pass to put the Bengals ahead with 4:28 to play. The catch was Green’s only reception in Cincinnati’s 27-17 victory.
The rematch two years ago did not go well. A botched snap by Ryan Pontbriand led to Phil Dawson missing a field goal from the Bengals’ 45 with less than two minutes to play.
Three plays later, Dalton threw a pass Green jumped high to catch at the Cleveland 29. The Browns defenders converged. Green not only held the ball and kept his balance. He sprinted 27 yards to the Browns’ 2. The Bengals forced the Browns to use all their timeouts and with 38 seconds left, Mike Nugent broke a 20-20 tie with a 26-yard field goal.
Green caught three passes for 110 yards in the Nov. 27, 2011 game.
Haden did not play against the Bengals on Sept. 16 last year because he was serving the first of a four-game suspension for using Adderall. His first game back was the rematch in Cleveland. Green greeted Haden rudely with seven catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. The difference was the Browns won, 34-24.
“As long as I have more wins than he does at the end, then it’s cool,” Haden said. “If he has a touchdown and I have no picks and a win, I’ll take that every day.”
Green was on a conference call from Cincinnati on Wednesday. He dismissed the theory he has come out on top in his battles with Haden. Green has 18 catches for 344 yards (19.1 average) for four touchdowns in four games against the Browns. The Bengals have won three.
“I don’t know about that, man,” Green said. “I just go out there and work as hard as I can because he’s a great corner and I have to work him.
“He’s probably one of the best corners I’ll face this season. He’s handy, he’s feisty. He runs, he can play the ball well. I feel like he’s one of the most underrated guys that gets no attention for being one of the best corners in the league. I’m surprised he never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro because he’s been doing it for four years at a consistent basis.”
All this praise being thrown around — it isn’t like the old days when Browns cornerback Ron Bolton and Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann made it clear they did not like each other.
“With certain players it’s not even the talk, it’s a respect,” Haden said. “You’re going out there, you have to get yours. During the game, I’m pushing him down, trying to throw him on the ground. He’s trying to pull by me. If he catches a ball, he’s going to do the first-down thing or whatever. And you’re going to get into it, for sure.
“But right after the game, hug it up. You’re going to go, ‘Good work, see ya next time.’”
The 2013 rematch is Nov. 17 in Cincinnati.